Purpose: To provide practical data for bioethics education, we identified correlations between recognition of good death, attitude towards withdrawal of meaningless life-sustaining treatment, and attitude towards euthanasia in nurses. Methods: Using convenience sampling, we recruited 218 nurses who had at least six-month work experience in one of the six general hospitals with 500 or more beds in Seoul, Busan, and Gyeongsang province. All participants understood the purpose of the study and agreed to take part in the study. The research tools used included the Concept of Good Death Measure (CoGD), the measurement tool for attitudes towards withdrawal of meaningless life-sustaining treatment (WoMLST), and the measurement tool for attitudes towards euthanasia. Data were analyzed using an Independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation coefficient using SPSS 21 for Windows. Results: Nurses had normal levels on CoGD, WoMLST, and attitudes towards euthanasia. Nurses' CoGD, WoMLST, and euthanasia scores significantly differed depending on their education level, working period, and the importance of religion to them. A negative correlation was found between the CoGD and WoMLST scores, and WoMLST and euthanasia scores were positively correlated. Conclusion: Nurses should be trained to deal with ethical issues that may arise while caring for terminal patients. It is necessary for nurses to understand the concepts related to CoGD, WoMLST, and euthanasia, and to promote bioethics education with focus on decision-making and problem-solving ability in ethically conflicting situations.
Purpose: This study was a part of a drive to develop a community health center-based hospice management model which is concerned with hospice care at a community health care setting and available resources of the local community. Methods: Development of a community health center-based hospice management model involved evaluation of existing hospice-related research, including literature review, and research on hospice facilities at the study site, as well as evaluation of model operation. The latter involved community health center-based hospice test operation, and evaluation of test operation by a research team, including of a nursing professor majoring in hospice care and staffs from a community health center in Busan metropolitan city, regional cancer center, and regional terminal cancer patient medical institute. The study was conducted in the 2008 calendar year. Results: The community health center-based hospice management model provides service linked with local community resources, focusing on the local community health center. Financial and administrative assistance is provided by the regional cancer center, with collaboration from academic health care professionals who guide the operation management. The community health center hospice nurse in consultation with a visiting nurse team registers terminally-ill cancer patients and, after assessment, the hospice team prioritize hospice care during team meeting. Care is delivered by staffs and volunteers. Conclusion: The developed community health center-based hospice operation management model maximally utilizes available community health resources to produce qualitative improvement of regional health and welfare policy through improving the lives of home-based cancer patients and their family who are in medical blind spot. (Korean J Hosp Palliat Care 2010;13:109-119)
Associate Professor, College of Nursing, Catholic University of PusanPurpose: This study was a descriptive survey research to investigate physicians and nurses' spirituality and to determine the general characteristics of physicians and nurses and the differences in their spirituality according to characteristics related to their works. Methods: The participants were 120 physicians and 120 nurses working in general hospitals with more than 500 beds located in metropolitan cities. The study data were collected from Nov. 15, 2009 to Dec. 30, 2009. Spirituality was measured using 'The scale for Koreans' spirituality' developed by Lee et al (2003). The scale has 30 questions answered on a five-point scale. Descriptive statistics, ANCOVA, t-test and one-way ANOVA were also used with the SPSS/WIN 170.0 program to analyze the data. Results: The spirituality of physicians and nurses was slightly higher than 3 points, a theoretical mean, which was at mid-level. The nurses had a significantly higher level than the physicians in 6 dimensions of spirituality and in the dimension of awareness. For differences of spirituality according to general characteristics and work related characteristics, there were significant differences according to the importance of religion in life, religion and age. Conclusion: Interest in spirituality is an important for medical professionals if they were to meet various patient demands within diverse cultures and beliefs. Medical science and nursing science should be sensitive to the spiritual demands of medical professionals themselves and their patients by developing educational programs to increase spirituality in education and practical affairs.
By the above results, the researchers recommend the following: An exploratory study on the variables related to the meaning of life are needed for criterion validity of this scale. Studies on meaning of life of different group, and subjects are needed for reverification.
The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to measure meaning in life based on Frankl's theory of logotherapy. Data were collected from August to October, 1999 by means of questionnaires developed by researchers. The subjects were 351 adults living in Busan and Kyoung Nam province. The study was conducted as follows: 1) A conceptual framework was identified based on the extensive review of relevant literatures and interviews with adults and professionals in psychology, philosophy, theology, and nursing. 2) The 76 items, 4-points scale were developed.3) The scale was tested on 351 adults to assess the reliability and validity, and factor analysis was done. 4) 63 items were established based on this testing and ten factors were extracted. These factors were labeled as self-awareness and self-acceptance, futuristic aspiration, valuelessness, purpose in life, contentedness with life, role awareness, experience of love, love in family, commitment, self-transcendence. Cronbach`s alpha of the 63 items was .950. Comparative studies to assess construct validity and repetitive studies to heighten generalizability are needed. This tool can be utilized to measure Korean's meaning in life.
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